The King's Questioner

by Nikki Katz

  Kalen cracked his neck and listened for any noises within the house. An eerie silence had descended over the entire mountain. Not even the sound of a scylee bird in the trees or a rustling of the wind through the leaves.

  He slid out his picks and crouched to work on the lock. Within seconds the heavy wood door opened on whisper-soft hinges. Luna swept up beside him and slid into the house. Kalen decided it would look less suspect for him to wait inside the home instead of lurking outside it.

  He eased the door closed behind him, locked it, and took in the strange room he now stood in. The walls were covered in dark velvet, black or navy, he couldn’t tell in the lighting. Pedestals stood in a line along one wall, each supporting a glass orb. The bottom of each sphere glowed a pale blue color, providing the only light in the space.

  Curiosity got the best of Kalen, and he scooted closer to the nearest pedestal. Inside the orb a miniature frog rested, squarely in the middle of the base. Kalen assumed it was stuffed, or a toy, because it sat immobile for several seconds. Then it blinked its eyes. He startled away and then peered closer. The container was seamless, not a single hole marring its surface. The next sphere held a large, iridescent moth and the third, a small mouse.

  “Kalen,” Luna whispered from somewhere ahead, “you’ll need to open the chest.”

  Kalen met her in the next room. She waved him through the space, which contained a mismatch of furniture, and down a couple of steps to a hallway that stretched to either side. She turned left, and they climbed yet more steps before she led him into an expanse of a bedroom chamber.

  Kalen felt like he was falling forward.

  The bed took up a large portion of the room, but it was what was beyond it that left Kalen off-balance. Two large panes of glass covered almost the entire length and height of two adjoining walls. The view was staggering. The sun had started its descent, casting a contrast on the canyon below, all dark edges and slashes of light and deep shadows. Opposite them, beyond the chasm, another mountain stretched high, its peaks only slightly lower than where they now stood.

  “Over here.” Luna crouched next to a chest in one of the corners. Ornate in style, it looked similar in design to the one they’d seen on the island, only this one was significantly larger.

  Kalen walked past the bed and squatted next to Luna. He recalled the placement of the bits in the lock of the other chest and started there with his picks. It took only a few adjustments before the lock opened, and he stepped back.

  Luna lifted the lid. The inside was lined in metal, the same bronze shade as the door in the catacombs. Two pendants lay in a velvet-lined drawer, but the chest could have easily held dozens of stones. She scooped up the jewels, and they disappeared into the folds of her cloak.

  An immediate wave of anger washed over Kalen, and his gaze tore to the windows. He felt drawn to shatter them. He could imagine the shards, the piercing glass, and how it could be used as a weapon.

  His gloved hands pushed him away from the window. How had he even gotten close enough to touch it?

  Luna eyed him warily. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  The pendants were clearly affecting him, and he couldn’t wait to destroy them. The anger pounded in his brain, blanketing his thoughts with a heavy cloud of frustration and a desire to lash out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying his best to push away the emotion to uncover his own, more stable thoughts.

  He felt in control and opened his eyes, ready to lead Luna to the front of the house. Suddenly she threw out her arm and blocked him. Her finger lifted to her lips to quiet any questions, and then he heard it, too. The sound of a door opening and casual footsteps.

  His eyes darted around the room. There was no place to hide, not that he wanted to be trapped here anyway.

  “There aren’t any exits,” Luna said. “I already checked.”

  They could fight their way out the front door, but Nero’s powers could overcome Kalen. He didn’t want to leave Luna to the task alone, so he did what any sane person would do.

  He grabbed the chest and threw it through the glass window.

  CHAPTER

  19

  Luna kicked out the glass shards jutting up from the floor and quickly flattened herself. She stuck her head over the edge and inched forward until her torso draped through the open space. Seconds later her legs flipped out into the air, and she disappeared from view.

  There was no scream nor sounds of bones breaking, so Kalen knew she’d figured out a path of escape. He also knew Nero was seconds away from entering the room, based on the thunder of footsteps running down the hall.

  Kalen angled his body out the window. What seemed like dozens of yards of empty space, and then the mountain, sloped beneath him. The rocks were silver blades, their edges thin and sharp and ready to pierce him.

  He peered down and to the side to see that Luna had latched her legs around one of the series of long beams supporting the room and was now shimmying toward the point at which it met with the mountainside.

  Kalen reached for the beam, his gloved fingers slipping. He wrapped an arm over and then pushed with his toes to shove his lower body out the window. His other arm flung around the beam as gravity took hold and yanked him down toward the maw of rocks below. He pulled his chest against the length of wood and swung his legs to lock around the beam.

  Taking a couple of calming breaths, he worked his way along like an inchworm. Luna had reached the edge and released her grip to stand on the narrow ledge jutting out from the mountainside. She assessed the hand- and footholds and began her ascent, leaving the ledge open for Kalen. She was already halfway up when he finally disentangled himself from the support beam and dropped to the ledge with his back to the mountain. The ledge was so narrow that his boot tips edged over it. His back scraped the rough wall as he stepped sideways and turned to find his own path.

  The temperature continued to drop, and moisture collected on the rocky surface. He found a handhold and reached out, but his gloves slipped against the frost. He quickly removed them and shoved them into his vest pockets. The frigid air bit at his fingertips, but he preferred the more stable grip.

  He focused his gaze on Luna, who had reached the top and now stared down at him. He stretched his arms up, found grooves, and then did the same with his toes. His muscles screamed from the climb by the time he hauled himself up next to Luna and sprawled flat on the ground. Mountain climbing hadn’t quite been on his list of recreational activities in Mureau.

  “Could you imagine if Cirrus had been with us?” Luna whispered as Kalen caught his breath and pulled his gloves on. His fingers curled into the warmth of the leather as he snorted.

  “There’s no way he could have climbed with his arm.”

  “He would’ve charmed his way out with words.”

  “Or asked for a kiss?” Kalen noted the faint tinge that dusted Luna’s cheeks as she ignored him.

  Kalen pushed himself to his feet and paced away from the cliff. He felt the anger creep over him in proximity to the pendants again. His skin itched, and every nerve was on edge. They needed to find Reign, show her the proof, and destroy the stones.

  “Nice try.”

  Kalen heard the words before someone tackled him from behind. The weight pushed him forward, and he barely had time to catch himself with his hands before an arm wrapped around his neck. Kalen immediately rolled, so his weight was on top of his attacker. There was a grunt, and then a knee jammed into his side.

  Kalen fought to breathe, but this time he let the anger from the amulet overwhelm him. The arm around his neck held tighter, and he jerked his head backward, wincing as it connected with something hard. A growl in his ear and then release. Kalen thrust forward, launching upright before he turned around and glowered at Nero.

  “Return them to me.” Nero pushed himself up, brushed his hands on the leg of his pants, and stretched out one hand as if Kalen would kindly hind over the amulets.

 
Kalen looked to Luna, who stood off to their side. Nero’s eyes narrowed, and he lunged for her. She tried to dodge, but he gripped her shoulders and tore at her cloak. “Where are they?”

  Kalen felt his legs and arms begin to weaken and knew it would be only a few moments before Nero absorbed his energy. With a last burst of effort, Kalen rushed behind Nero and grabbed his wrists. He pulled them against the sorcier’s lower back, trying to keep him immobile. He wished he had his Hakunan staff for a proper fight, but he would have to make do with his rudimentary wrestling skills. Nero kicked away and connected the heel of his boot with Kalen’s shin. Kalen stumbled, teeth grinding together at the bloom of pain that shot through his leg, but he didn’t break his grip on Nero’s wrists. They fell together onto the ground. Luna was suddenly there. Her fingers gripped Nero’s neck, and the sorcier’s head slumped forward.

  Kalen took a moment to catch his breath and then crawled away from Luna to get control of the anger that had overcome him.

  When he felt more himself, he stood and walked over to Nero. With deft fingers, he reached under the man’s collar and grabbed the cord that hung around Nero’s neck. It snapped, and Kalen removed yet another pendant that he tossed to Luna. She quickly tied the loose ends in a knot and tucked it away with the other two.

  “We need to find out how many there are so we can destroy them all.”

  She nodded, but concern wrinkled her forehead. “Can you do this a third time today?”

  “Do I have a choice?” He hesitated only briefly. “If I appear to be under duress, please pull me away. I’m not sure exactly what he—or his magick—is capable of. I don’t want to be caught in a mindlock with him.”

  Luna nodded. “I’ll be right here the entire time.”

  Kalen removed his gloves for the second time in the past hour and plunged into the man’s unconscious mind.

  He knew he had to make quick work of finding the secrets and unlocking them. Nero surely had hidden away the times he had extracted Reign’s magick as well as who had purchased the amulets from him.

  Kalen walked along a dimly lit tunnel lined with locked doors. This man had more secrets than a murderer. The doors themselves glowed a pale gray color. Kalen approached one midway along the hall. He gripped the key nestled against his skin and lifted it over his head. Within seconds he had the lock picked and opened the door.

  A young boy huddled in the corner of a library of sorts. He sat with his head tucked into his knees, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. An adolescent Nero paced in front of him. “Did he whip you again?”

  The boy nodded.

  “Let me take the pain from you. You know he was just angry with me and taking it out on you.” The words were a yellow stream that increased in pitch as they left Nero’s mouth.

  The boy glanced up, and Kalen could see that he resembled Nero. A younger brother or cousin for certain.

  “You can’t keep doing it. They don’t like it. Plus it hurts.” The words were jagged whispers.

  “I’ll find somewhere else to put it. I don’t have to continue to absorb it all.” Nero grabbed a book off the shelf and moved to stand beside the boy. Nero’s fingers lightly gripped the back of the boy’s neck, and he winced. His lips pressed together until they were colorless.

  A silver thread appeared, unspooling from the boy’s chest. It lengthened and twisted, winding into the pages of the book. Nero’s eyes narrowed in concentration, but the thread twined through the pages and out the top, only to snake into the boy’s torso again. The boy’s lungs expanded, and he gasped for breath, finally wrenching from Nero’s grasp and running from the room.

  The shadows crept in as Nero stood still, hands in fists at his sides.

  Kalen locked the door and opened the next. The lock even easier to pick now that he’d learned the sorcier’s wards.

  This time it was a girl, and Nero tried to place her emotions in a wooden chest, which also failed to work. The girl fled the room crying.

  It finally worked with a jewel, which held a silver strand without release. Nero’s excitement at helping the young man, who appeared to be his friend, was short-lived as the memories shuffled and Nero increasingly was called upon to help people.

  Kalen moved on, knowing he would soon be out of time. He glanced at secret after secret in the hopes of finding memories that included Reign. Finally, he found her. The princess was slumped in a pile of rags on the floor, begging Nero to help. Pale blue, the words were heavy with sorrow. “Take it away. Take away the sadness, the rage. The brothers said they will release me only if I get it under control; please tell me you can help. I can’t live like this, in these conditions.” Her dirty hands reached out in supplication.

  And Nero did. The crystals absorbed her emotions, time after time, growing brighter with each visit. It appeared he could use one over multiple sessions until it filled to capacity.

  Kalen opened more locks, trying to figure out how many times Nero had extracted Reign’s emotions, how many pendants were out there. There were obviously ones that did good, like Jules’s pendant in the apothecary shop. But the ones specific to Reign were the only ones Kalen cared about.

  Two … three … four … five … six.

  Kalen shut the door, locked it, and exited Nero’s mind.

  His forehead creased in agony, and he curled into himself.

  “He’s starting to come to,” Luna said. She tried to keep her voice soft for Kalen, but it still felt as if she were stabbing a sword through his brain. “I ran inside for some rope and bound his hands while you were in his mind, but I was almost ready to pull you out.”

  And with that Nero began lashing back and forth. His elbow connected with Kalen’s skull. The pain exploded, and Kalen nearly passed out. He crawled away from the man and reached into his pocket for tea leaves.

  “What have you done to me?” Nero eyed Kalen’s uncovered hands and tried to shift to a sitting position.

  “Who sanctioned the amulets?” Anger made Kalen’s question short, his patience even shorter. He had to verify it was Ryndel.

  Nero’s nostrils flared.

  “I’ll give you one chance to tell me”—Kalen touched his fingers together—“before I figure it out myself.”

  “Yeah, it seems questioning is not your preferred method.” Nero glared at him.

  Kalen hoped Nero wouldn’t call his bluff. There was no way he could dive into the man’s thoughts again without being swept under. A part of Kalen was terrified at the thought that he might exit someone’s mind one day and the pain would kill him.

  “Just stay away from me, and I’ll tell you the truth,” Nero said. “Your King’s Law reached out to me via scylee bird over a year ago, asking after my talents. He wanted to know about the jewels and if there was a way he might commission them. I wondered only briefly what he wanted with the amulets, but it was none of my business. I only cared that I got to be creative and that the money came in on time.”

  It was a punch in the stomach to hear that Ryndel had been planning this for quite some time.

  Kalen kept his face calm and nodded. “As I figured. Thank you for confirming.” He rose to his feet.

  “Aren’t you going to untie me?” Nero wiggled his fingers from where his wrists were knotted behind him.

  “I suspect you would tackle us again before we moved three feet.”

  They turned and trudged down the road that climbed up from the town.

  Minutes passed with only the crunch of their boots, and then Luna spoke. “Perhaps we destroy them now?”

  “You know we need them as proof to show Reign.”

  “I only thought I would suggest it, before you wear your teeth to nubby little stones.”

  It was then Kalen realized he’d been grinding his teeth together. “I can’t believe Ryndel turned out to be such a rat. I never trusted him, but he didn’t seem capable of anything larger than chasing after girls.”

  Luna’s boot caught a stone that went tumbling away, setting Kal
en’s jaw to clench again. He wasn’t sure if his chaos of thoughts was tied to the amulets or rather his anger that his kingdom might be in jeopardy at the hands of a manipulative rodent.

  What kind of game was the King’s Law playing?

  It was time to find out.

  * * *

  A WARM GUST of air flushed his cheeks as Kalen held the door open for Luna to walk through. Cirrus lounged in a corner of the small foyer, a mug of most likely ale clasped in his hands and his makeshift Hakunan staff resting against the wall behind him.

  “Took you guys long enough,” he said as he lifted the drink to his lips.

  “We ran into a few complications,” Kalen said. “You obviously didn’t do your job well.”

  “It’s a sad story.” He took a long sip and winced. “I stopped by here to ask if anyone knew where Nero might be this time of day, and then that girl wouldn’t stop talking and bringing me drinks.”

  “What girl?” Luna tapped her foot impatiently.

  “The serving girl. Sasha.” Cirrus leaned in. “I swear, I tried to escape, but I didn’t want to be rude.”

  “Right.” Luna drawled out the word.

  “I swear on the royal treasury. She’s not my type.” He turned to Kalen as if desperate to change the topic. “I’m guessing you ran into him, but successfully got away?”

  Luna shook her head in disbelief. “Yeah, we ran into him.”

  “I’m going to find Reign.” Kalen ducked into the lounge to see if the princess was serving anyone. He nearly laughed at the absurdity of the thought. The princess. Serving food and drinks.

  She wasn’t in the crowded room, so he made his way toward the swinging doors, just as Sasha walked through them in his direction.

  “You’re not allowed in the kitchen.” She balanced a tray of food.

  “Is Reign back there?”

  “Yes, but you can’t bother her. She has work to do.” Her eyes flashed with disdain and then brightened. “Your friend is adorable by the way. I’m trying to convince him to stay at the inn tonight.”